Subject: this is soo true!  DONE THIS............AIN'T NO FUN!


      THE BASIC RULES FOR CLOTHESLINES:  (if you don't know what
clotheslines are, better skip this)

      1.  You had to wash the clothes line before hanging any clothes
- walk the entire lengths of each line with a damp cloth around the
lines.
         
      2.  You had to hang the clothes in a certain order, and always
hang "whites" with "whites," and hang them first.

      3.  You never hung a shirt by the shoulders  - always by the
tail!. What would the neighbors think?

      4.  Wash day on a Monday! . .. . Never hang clothes on the
weekend, or Sunday, for Heaven's sake!

      5.  Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines so you
could hide your "unmentionables" in the middle (perverts &
busybodies, y'know!)

      6.   It didn't matter if it was sub zero weather  ... clothes
would "freeze-dry."

      7.  Always gather the clothes pins when taking down dry
clothes!  Pins left on the lines were "tacky!"

      8.  If you were efficient, you would line the clothes up so
that each item did not need two clothes pins, but shared one of the
clothes pins with the next washed item.

      9.  Clothes off of the line before dinner time, neatly folded
in the clothes basket, and ready to be ironed.

      10. IRONED?!  Well, that's a whole other subject!


                    A  POEM

                    A clothesline was a news forecast
                    To neighbors passing by,
                    There were no secrets you could keep
                    When clothes were hung to dry.

                    It also was a friendly link
                    For neighbors always knew
                    If company had stopped on by
                    To spend a night or two.

                    For then you'd see the "fancy sheets"
                    And towels upon the line;
                    You'd see the "company table cloths"
                    With intricate designs.

                    The line announced a baby's birth
                    From folks who lived inside -
                    As brand new infant clothes were hung,
                    So carefully with pride!

                    The ages of the children could
                    So readily be known
                    By watching how the sizes changed,
                    You'd know how much they'd grown!

                    It also told when illness struck,
                    As extra sheets were hung;
                    Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
                    Haphazardly were strung.

                    It also said, "Gone on vacation now"
                    When lines hung limp and bare.
                    It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged
                    With not an inch to spare!

                    New folks in town were scorned upon
                    If wash was dingy and gray,
                    As neighbors carefully raised their brows,
                    And looked the other way . . .

                    But clotheslines now are of the past,
                    For dryers make work much less.
                    Now what goes on inside a home
                    Is anybody's guess!

                    I really miss that way of life.
                    It was a friendly sign
                    When neighbors knew each other best
                    By what hung on the line.